A Hall Effect sensor is a transducer that varies its output voltage in response to a magnetic field. Generally, Hall Effect sensors are used for proximity switching, positioning, speed detection, and current sensing applications. In its simplest form, the Hall Effect sensor operates as an analog transducer directly returning a voltage that can be used with a known magnetic field from a magnet to determine a distance between the Hall Effect sensor and the magnet. Unfortunately, the voltage generated by the Hall Effect sensor cannot be used to distinguish a direction of a magnetic vector associated with the magnetic field. For example, since the direction of the magnetic vector cannot be resolved, even though the Hall Effect sensor can be used to deduce a distance between the magnet and the Hall Effect sensor, the direction of the magnetic field cannot be deduced and therefore the actual location of the magnet relative to the Hall Effect sensor (i.e., up, down, right, left) cannot be determined.
Therefore, what is desired is a method, apparatus, and system for determining a direction of a magnetic field.